Monochrome tears
by darkjeane
Summary: Ch.347-353 Spoilers! Ichigo came to rescue Orihime from Ulquiorra but the fight take a unexpected turn... Read the 'Prelude' for more. Love, tears, fights. [UlquiHime]
1. Prelude

**WARNING! Chapter 347 SPOILERS!**

* * *

 **Prelude (chap.347)**

 _-_ _Can you take me above the dome?_

This is what she asked him before he did so. And now, he knew he was right because he was already regretting it...

Everything above the "bubble" was dark and there was a heavy atmosphere due to the powerful reiatsu.

Orihime still managed to perceive two figures by the moonlight. She easily identified the one of Ichigo and, all while rushing to him, she guessed that the other "thing" was the one of Ulquiorra.

She hardly recognized the sad face of the _Espada_ as his form was chaotic... It seemed like a creature coming right from hell. He, who basically was the least impressive of all the _Espadas_ - _even if he might look very strange_ \- had completely transformed himself. His body, whose appeared a few minutes earlier so frail, had taken a devil-looking shape... but the most shocking was his spiritual pressure, so thick and painful like a plague swallowing the air and space into an evil darkness where she could hardly breathe.

While the battle between the two was raging, she was stuck a few meters away, immobilized by fear and the overwhelming powers clashing together.

She easily saw that Ichigo was in very bad shape and that Ulquiorra, as usual, didn't seem to put all his strength in his blows despite his 'evolution'. In a fit of panic, she threw her "Souten Kisshun" to protect the _Shinigami_.

The bat stretched its arms as if to pluck the heart of his opponent with his long black claws. While expecting to tear him up, instead, he felt his hand as if _slowed_ by something, before to finally touch the still warm flesh and blood between his fingers.  
\- _Inoue!_ Yelled the red-haired.

Concerned, Ulquiorra looked at the impact point and discovered with astonishment that he had pierced the abdomen of Orihime, who thought she could protect the young S _hinigami_ by interposing herself with her shield.  
However, this time his blow wasn't blocked. Instead, Ulquiorra broke the shield without even noticing and then, reached the wrong target.

He withdrew his hand, letting escape a significant amount of blood in the process. Ichigo wished to help the girl, but the _Espada_ had no intention to give him the slightest rest. He wasn't in the mood.  
The human who didn't stand a chance against him, just happened to see his friend whom he came to rescue, die before his very eyes. Nevertheless, it didn't look like the boy would forfeit anytime. Why?

Why was the _Espada_ feeling so angry inside of him? Was it really because of the _Shinigami_?  
Or was it because of the girl, who once again, had interfered?

The very same girl who once again, had betrayed him?

The one whose existence belonged to Aizen-sama?

In a fit of passion mixed with a lack of reflection, he took the prisoner's body in his arms before disappearring in front of the powerless Shinigami.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

* * *

When Ulquiorra arrived at the laboratory, he laid the woman to the ground before starting to remove her clothes that had been previously shredded by Loly.

Orihime opened her eyes.

She was breathing hard, had a horrible pain and felt the cold crawl on her skin. Everything was blurry, but she could distinct a shadow above her. Neither the strength nor the idea to struggle, she focused on this form to better distinguish it.

 _"A shadow...? A person...?"_

As her eyesight was improving slowly, she stretched her hand to the shadow before to feel the shape of a face and lose consciousness.

While untying the belt of her hakama, he felt her hand landing on his face. She was looking at him without really seeing him.  
Was she blind? Or maybe delirious?  
He left her underwear on and put her an oxygen mask before to dive her into a vertical pond.

Now, she looked like an experiment subject, one more guinea pig. Her legs and long hair were floating in that strange greenish liquid and bubbles, which indicated that she still breathed, were slowly rising to the surface.

Ulquiorra suddenly wondered why he had just saved the life of the woman who, in the end, was determined to not be one of his allies... And to begin with, was even an enemy, especially for repeatedly acting against him...

Also, he got back to the top of the dome where Ichigo was still waiting, in order to put an end to his life.

* * *

 _ *** Slice ***  
She saw him pierce her abdomen. She saw his face... It was clear since his mask had changed shape… She could barely recognize him but it was definitely him... She understood by looking at his eyes. A gaze both sad and completely stoic at the same time... And those green tears... They were bigger, but they were his own for sure._

She opened her eyes.

She felt light and quickly realized that it was because she was completely submerged. A mask allowed her to breathe underwater.

 _"Water? It is more dense and green than water"_ she thought.

She searched in this limited space a way to escape, but this oppressing feeling kept growing inside of her.

Too weakened to use her powers against the hard prison of glass where her fists knocked in vain, she panicked. Her sight soon became cloudy and her heart seemed to beat to explode.

 ** _*Ba-dump*_**

* * *

- _You bastard! What did you do of Inoue?!  
_  
Ulquiorra didn't answer the question of the _Shinigami_. He didn't have to do so.  
Because of his weakness and his stupid stubbornness in wanting to fight, this woman had to sacrifice herself a second time. Nevertheless, Ulquiorra was still responsible for watching over her and hadn't been ordered to kill nor to let her die...

His patience had more than ever come to its limit. He felt a desire, if not a _need_ to kill him, to make him clearly understand that nothing he could do or think would help him to compete, and even less to surpass the power of the _cuatro_.

He was now holding him, suspended like a vulgar insect that is about to be tortured. He felt under his claw the tender and fragile bloodstained epidermal of this young human.

 ** _*Ba-dump*  
_**  
Suddenly, he felt an incredible disturbance into the young woman's reiatsu. Almost as if it was someone else's...

" _Impossible!_ "

Worried, he compelled himself to restrain his deadly aura. Now more than ever, he wished to draw the real despair on that insolent face, but... the woman, she, mustn't die.  
Also... It wasn't like his prey could flee somewhere to hide itself. He dropped the now inert body to the ground and plunged again into the endless darkness.

While the woman was lying unconscious on the floor, he checked that she was still breathing and put his hand on her abdomen. Her injury had completely healed as if it had never existed. Ulquiorra thought that Szayel Aporro was still a useful "scientist", like this secret laboratory that he discovered by orders from Aizen.

He observed the pond that had burst in pieces. The walls initially ironclad-made, seemed to have surrendered to an enormous inner power, like a bomb that had exploded inside.  
However, glass breakage aside, nothing seemed to show any possible system's failure... Everything was perfectly intact, if not the thick layer of glass.

Concerned for a moment, he finally convinced himself to not pursue his fight with Ichigo, preferring to bring the young woman in a safer place... Also, wishing to go unnoticed as possible, Ulquiorra resumed his original form and used his sonido to quietly go back to his apartment, under the dome of Las Noches.

Orihime, in her syncope, was caught by slight shivers indicating that her body still soaked was cold. Ulquiorra wrapped her in a big towel. Although her feminine attributes were important, she remained slender, almost weak. He could easily break her as she was frail.

" _Why did she voluntarily thrown herself into this fight? How could she even think to protect something by being so vulnerable? Does she have a never-falling bravery? Or maybe she's also completely irresponsible?_ _"_

* * *

She was bordered with a soft warmth and surrounded by a comforting perfume... A very light fragrance that seemed familiar, although she couldn't remember where it came from...

She woke up.

She was lying in a large canopy bed.

Then, she understood why she felt so good. This bed was of such a mellow... She thought to be on a cloud! The warm and soft sheets that she felt on her skin were impregnated with the very same scent.

She took a glance around and understood in the lack of decoration that she had to be in a Las Noches's room... But whose room? And what was she doing in a bed, sleeping peacefully?

She sat up and recognized Ulquiorra who was sitting on the floor, half hidden behind the bed. His body had taken support on his _Zanpakuto_ like an old man on a cane. It was hard to believe that someone like him could have been resting in such a way in front of her eyes.

". _..! But it must be his room then... But what am I..._ "

Some brief scenes went back in her memory... A monster... that had pierced her... a shadow... who had 'locked' her in an aquarium... and that aquarium... how did she get out of it?

Worried, she laid her hand on her belly... nothing! Had this green thing healed her?!... And this monster... Now she clearly remembered, it was Ulquiorra! He had literally killed her and now, she was standing as if nothing had happened!  
Plus, his appearance got back just the way she was used to see him.

She sat in front of him and observed him in silence. While still asleep, she found that he had a certain charm and wanted to touch him.

She hesitated.

She knew he was dangerous – _she even tasted it_ \- but yet, she couldn't resign herself to be wary of him, to fear him.

She barely touched his cheek that he pinned her down. She didn't have the time to see him come as he was fast. In an instant he was on top of her, holding firmly her wrists with his left hand and threatening her with his blade on the right one.  
- _Sorry!_ She said a little shocked.  
- _What were you doing?_ _  
_  
She could feel her face changing color as she was embarrassed...  
She noticed that his jacket, which was open, heralded a 4 tattooed on his chest.

He sheathed back his katana and gently stroked her belly. She shivered and felt her cheeks burning. She thought they had never been so close to each other. His eyes were of a bewitching green and he emerged a perfume so...

" _This scent! That's it! It's the one I smelled into the-! What an idiot... of course since it is HIS bed..._ "

- _What am I doing… here... and dressed like this...?_ She asked awkwardly.

At this sentence, he got up and helped her to do so.  
- _Because of your recklessness, you placed yourself between him and me... and I pierced you with my hand_ _._ He said before putting his hand on her once again, as if he was trying to wake up the fear inside her.  
 _-_ _But because Aizen-sama didn't order me to kill you, I would have gone against my mission if I'd let you die. I have unclothed you before plunging you into a regenerating bath._

" _So it really was him, this shadow within the blur?_ "

 _-That is why you are half naked. You're here in my room, where no one will get you...  
_ - _So this... this monster up there... It was..._  
- _Me._  
- _And Kurosaki-kun…?_  
- _I still have plenty of time to make him fall into despair_

Afraid only by reviewing the picture in her head, she felt tears flowing down her cheeks and her legs refused to move.

Was it the backlash of what she had witnessed? Was she… afraid of him now? Was she going to break, here, in front of him? Her and her delicate body…  
\- _... I'm sorry... I don't know why..._  
 _  
_He knew it. Since he had seen her that night into the shinigami's room, he had understood. However, he remained puzzled. He couldn't get the reason why she loved him nor why that thought alone started to annoy him.  
- _I don't understand how humans can so blindly love... They are so stupid!_

His voice had become much stronger, much angrier... As if she had made a mistake and he wanted to make her reflect on it.  
- _This fool_ _will probably never understand why you sacrificed yourself! How can you still believe in him after all this?_

As if his words had awakened her, she stood up, steady in front of him.  
- _Only a being with a heart can have feelings! How could you understand anything when you're not capable?  
_  
Ulquiorra wasn't really surprised to see her suddenly going against him. The human girl always objected his point of view.  
But, overwhelmed by a feeling of frustration and without knowing how to respond to the arguments of the young woman, he grabbed her throat.

As his fingers slowly tightened on her neck so fragile, Orihime launched him a brazen look. Whatever he could do or say, never, she would let herself give in when her friends were involved.

The _cuatro_ might well kill her, he wouldn't be satisfied for all that. He had long realized that her character counterbalanced her weakness in combat. Bored, He unclenched his fist to wipe her tears and stroked her lips with his thumb. This movement, which she didn't expect at all, left her speechless. He looked at her eyes one last time before to step back and leave the room.

" _What… does that mean?!..._ " she wondered, puzzled.


	3. Chapter 3

**Lemon begins here~**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

When he returned to the room, Orihime had disappeared.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened and a cloud of steam came out of it. Her long hair dripped on the floor and her body, whose skin was still damp, was wrapped in a sponge towel.  
 _-_ _Are you… looking for something?..._  
 _-_ _What are you doing?_ _  
-_ _Huh? ...Erm, I still had the smell of that green stuff on me, so I took a shower...  
_ _-_ _..._ _  
-_ _By the way... I have no clothes to change into_ _,_ she said a little embarrassed _._

Then, he took some white with black stitching clothes from the bottom of a dresser.  
- _It should be your size._

While he handed her the clothes, the redhead slowly approached, intrigued by this mysterious character she could never decipher. His behavior, a bit earlier, had shocked her.

" _Surely, he isn't as cruel as he is pretending to be…?"_

She noticed some simple details... His prominent Adam's apple, the outlines of his face perfectly drawn, the almost animal look of his eyes or his shoulders that she didn't remember to be so broad.

While they were both staring at each other, she moved to take the clothes and slightly brushed his hands.  
- _AH! Um…_ She blushed.

While he remained unmoved and still studying her behavior, she could feel her heart racing and her cheeks burning. Curious about her reactions always so unpredictable, he stroked her burning cheek.  
- _Hurry up and get dressed, fever is getting you._

This frozen hand refreshed her and in the same time, felt warm and kind. Her heart calmed down and her eyelids fell close.

One more time, the girl was showing an expression that the _arrancar_ couldn't get.

Were every humans like her? Why could he never know what she was thinking? Why did she never show any fear?

While he was focused on her serene face, she let out a little shriek and he felt the towel fall to his feet. He understood right away that she was naked and completely to his mercy, but he didn't avert his eyes from hers, even for a second.

She wanted to grab the clothes he was still keeping in his hand, but the _Espada_ didn't let go. She slowly raised her head even more embarrassed.  
- _I… I'm cold_ , she said while begging him with a glance.

* * *

As he stared at her incessantly, his instinct whispered him to kill her... This woman was a threat.

The _Espada_ had to end this here and now, otherwise, he felt like it would be too late...

His mind was perfectly lucid. But then, why was his body refusing to move? Why couldn't he get rid of her big gray eyes?

While staring at her, he moved closer to her face, just enough to whisper something in her ear.

- _Let me warm you up_ , he said before to take her in his arms.

He embraced her strongly enough as if to protect her, but not too much, so that she could still push him away.

He, who was only supposed to watch after her, was now holding the young and beautiful human enemy in his arms. Who was he to allow himself to touch Aizen's property? This woman whose soft and warm skin was of an appetizing peach color...

* * *

 _-Let me warm you up,_ he blew at her ear.

Her surprise was even greater when she felt his hands sliding on her...

Wavering, she nevertheless had the feeling she had long wished such a touch. Intoxicated with his scent and cradled by this manly and soothing strength, she put her arms around his torso, like seeking for a refuge.

Her pulse sped up when he tightened his embrace.

She could feel his slow and quiet breathing on her nape and his unexpected body warmth through his clothes. _  
_  
He slightly backed in order to examine her reaction for a short time and slowly pressed his black lips against her pink ones.

This touch, so short and unexpected was it, had something appealing. She wasn't cold anymore and felt herself burning. Her heart was beating at full speed... or had it just stopped?  
She didn't know anymore and her thoughts were nothing coherent. She just felt an incredible desire to touch again those lips that seemed to call her desperately.

Guided by unknowns urges, she climbed to her tiptoes in order to give him back his kiss.

Their gazes met for an instant.

Like time had frozen, she was drowning into his expressionless green eyes while hers begged for him to continue. Her pink and plump lips slightly open kept quiet in hope to taste again his irresistible scent.

Giving in to her request, he lifted her chin with a finger and enjoyed biting softly her lips, licking them from time to time.

Eyes half open, the young woman had fallen under his spell. From the tip of his tongue that he gently slid, he explored her mouth and taste. Like caresses, she enjoyed this new feeling and clung to his neck to relieve her faltering legs.

At the sight of her sudden weakness, Ulquiorra stroked the thighs of the girl before seizing them to hold her entirely. Now higher than him, she could fully enjoy their kiss, letting one of her hand leave his neck to explore the line of his jaw, before discovering the silky feeling of his thin black hair that she had caught between her fingers.

He gently put Orihime on the bed and took off his clothes to better stick himself against her soft skin that he liked to feel under his fingers.

Was it not to scare her that the _cuatro Espada_ was suddenly so tender with her? Or was he hiding a heart behind this cold and unreadable attitude?

She could no longer think as his caresses became unbearable. His big hands, imprinted of strength and violence were the most pleasant of all punishment.

She forgot everything under his languorous kisses that roamed each part of her body. But the _Espada_ wanted the woman to stay perfectly conscious. He wished so hard to own her body and soul…

He got up in order to better contemplate her. Her gasping neck, her marked collarbone, her firm and bouncy breast that his hands weren't enough to hide, her flat belly, her womanly hips and finally, the essence that made her a woman, followed by her long legs too frail.

The princess still feverish stretched her hand in his direction and touched his mask.

He grabbed his delicate hand and put a kiss on her palm before putting it on his cheek. She could now touch him without fear that he would dodge or stop her with his menacing glare. His tears, that she had so often contemplated, were drawing themselves under her fingers.

Her jailer, the _cuatro Espada_ , the emperor of nihilism, the most insensitive from all _arrancars_ was now entirely devoted to her, to the point of exposing that human side which she didn't even suspect the existence.

Could their sudden intimacy be explained? Or was this moment so special especially because it was between them, two beings that everything opposed?

His black lips, his sharp tongue, and his white skin didn't seem so cold anymore. His hands, that were making her shiver, weren't enough to soothe the heat she felt anymore. Despite being a virgin and, ultimately, knowing nothing about Ulquiorra, her crotch now wet was itching. She was ashamed just thinking about it but, yes, she felt lust for him. She wanted more. She wanted him.

Henceforth ready, she consented to let him penetrate her intimacy. He entered gently, but the pain that seemed to crush her lungs made her let out a loud cry.

Right away, he took advantage of her wide open mouth to kiss her furiously. Forcing his tongue deep, she gave up to this kiss even more intoxicating that made her forget her pain.

With the same slow pace, he stroked her thighs and prompted her to surround him with her legs. He began to move gently while suppressing her moans.  
Thanks to the pressure that she put on his waist with her legs, he could read and adjust the speed and intensity of his thrusts. Gradually, her thighs were less and less contracted to let him come and go more freely.

He let her catch a breath to let his mouth wander on her chin, before leaving a few marks on her neck.

Suddenly, she tightened her grip to bring her hips closer, while arching her back from pleasure, under which he slid his arm to raise her up to him.

Though they were glued to each other, she had the feeling the distance that separated the both of them was too big. She could finally see a real person in him and didn't want him to become cold and distant again. Unable to make her brain work properly, she dug her nails into the muscles of his shoulders, afraid to be farther away from him.

In the same time, Ulquiorra, who hugged her strongly against him, couldn't stop his arms to crush her even more in his embrace when his trapeziums were stung.

Her long orange hair seemed to desperately pull her head backward, drawing thoroughly the lines of her jaw and neck to better reveal her imposing chest which was only asking to be freed.

He enjoyed all the expressions that she unveiled to him. This strength of character had vanished with her moans to finally be tamed obediently. In return, she had been granted an incredible physical strength that he never thought her capable of.

Certainly, this way he learned more and more about humans, this inferior species that never stopped to obsess him, but above all, he saw from her what no one had never seen before… He was now the only one to know her so much, but also the very first.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Her eyes opened.

At first, she saw his tattoo. Then, his hollow hole and finally his face. She noticed that one of his hands was lying on her hip.

For once, he didn't seem to be sad or angry, he was just asleep. She liked this expression he wore when his eyes were closed. He had no more of this disturbing and sometimes terrible glance. He was just calm and seemed as gentle as a lamb. A lamb in tears...

She redrew the outlines of his tears with her fingertips and he slowly opened his green eyes.

At his wake, he felt her soft hand brushing his cheek.

She watched him with her big grey eyes before to faintly smile at him. It was the first time that he had seen her smile - _especially since she came at Las Noches-_ and the first time that she seemed happy.

He slid his hand into her long hair and kept a strand of it, which he brought to his lips.  
 _-_ _Be mine… and nothing else_ _,_ he told her with a piercing glance.

She looked at him, slightly confused. Was it his own way to tell her that he wanted to have a 'real' relationship with her? Was he... confessing?  
- _I don't understand._

He was surprised.

For the first time, their roles were inverted.

Although the idea was quite clear in his head, he found himself unable to explain it with words, because never, had he thought that **she** , of all people, wouldn't be able to understand.  
\- _…_ _You said "be mine"_ she repeated  
 _-I want… you… I want…_ [He hesitated a brief moment, looking for something in the grey of her eyes] y _ou to fully belong to me._

Slowly, he released the orange strand and dragged his fingers along her collarbone.  
- _I…  
_ [She strived to not let her voice betray her feelings]  
 _-I am not an object_  
[gaze strong but body on tenterhooks]  
 _-that can be owned as one pleases._  
 _  
_He broke that slight touch and she felt the temperature fall even faster than it had risen.  
 _-_ _You don't want to?_ His voice had once again become impassive. _Is it… because you love him?_

Orihime was speechless.

Could it be that the _cuatro Espada was_ merely jealous?

What if Ichigo had replaced Ulquiorra?

Suddenly, the idea of the teenager kissing or touching her was kind of repelling... Yet, she had always been in love with the red-haired boy until now. She knew she didn't 'love' Ulquiorra and yet, something so intimate had happened between them… But strangely enough, she didn't regret it. He had been so gentle in his gesture, so passionate in their kisses, so different than what she knew of him that, even if it was her first time, she didn't regret it.

Right now, she felt herself closer to the real Ulquiorra than ever.  
- _Do you love me?_ The words slipped without thinking.

" _Why did I say that?!_ "

Why...why was she so afraid to hear the answer while she also died to know?

A bit startled by the question, he answered bluntly.  
- _How could I? Isn't it you, who said that I had no heart and wasn't able to?_

She then regretted the previous words she had thrown at him under the heat of anger. She knew that it wasn't easy to get the _Espada_ to think like a 'normal' person, but Orihime never did lose hope. Whatever his perception was, she knew inside of her that she would always get him to think twice about it.

Just looking at them, both half naked in this bed, was enough to understand the power she had on him.  
- _I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… But don't go hiding yourself behind these words!_  
- _Hiding myself?_ _What for?_ _Did I not already seduce you?_ Raising a brow, he proceeded; _Your moans seemed to say so.  
_  
She gulped. _  
-Be honest! …Towards me… and towards yourself!_ The more she tried to make him realize, the more she realized she was lying to herself.  
- _Honest?_ He asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. _I am only stating evidence and I don't believe ever being 'dishonest' up to now._

She felt her throat tightening and tears welling in her eyes.  
- _Dare to say that you didn't feel anything when you made love to me_ [she couldn't believe herself she had said it out loud] _while YOU made the first step!  
_  
She felt lost and hurt.

Since the first day, she experienced the desire to understand the mysterious _arrancar_. His bitter perception of things only intrigued her even more.

Perhaps was it the reason that couldn't make her feel any kind of fear toward him despite his power and numerous threats?

He never managed to discern her. She was, and would always be a mystery to him. But with time and the recent events, he could easily distinguish right from wrong in her voice. He knew that whatever she might say, her words were also a decoy to hide something else.

He was slightly amazed of himself for growing so talkative and even more of the words he said.  
- _And WHO avoided my question while asking me another one? Who, from the two of us, is not honest and hiding behind words?_

She sat up and took care to cover herself with a sheet.  
- _You want to know?_  
[It was undeniable]  
 _-Very well_ ,  
[she was attracted by Ulquiorra.]  
- _So, NO, I do not love him_ ,  
[She had always been, and]  
 _-YES, it's YOU who seduced me!_  
[she couldn't admit]  
- _You want me 'body and soul'?_  
[that it was in his presence] _  
-Then prove me_  
[that she really felt at her place,]  
 _-how much you want it_  
[that she was desperately]  
- _because I only obey at my heart!_  
[falling in love with him.]

She had finally realized that all this time, these feelings she had held for the _Shinigami_ were but an illusion.

In order to not lose hope and to hang up to something in her wretched little life, she had developed this pseudo affection, this blind faith toward the one who had saved her so many times. But the heart has its reason which the reason knows nothing... And never, had she imagined succumbing to the advances of an _arrancar_ , a spiritual being who killed humans & _shinigamis_ all the while keeping her prisoner.

With these words, she got up in frenzy and without even giving him the chance to say anything, locked herself into the bathroom to cry all her pains.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Orihime didn't saw the time flows in this room where the concepts of day and night were nonexistent. How to know when there isn't any window? Moreover, the sky of Las Noches wasn't real while the night at Hueco Mundo was eternal.

Ulquiorra absented himself at times and, even if the idea of following him had crossed her mind, he had strictly forbidden her to leave the room, adding that it was only between those walls that she was safe.

* * *

 _-_ _Why are you following me?_ _  
-_ _Huh?_ _  
-_ _Do not even think to cross that door._ _  
-_ _But ... Why?  
_ _-_ _This room is undetectable to anyone but me. If you don't want to make yourself killed, you'd better not leave it._ _  
_- _Killed?_  
\- _I have no vocation to protect you from all threats of this world._

* * *

Although she found it a little strange, she wasn't really interested in leaving the room anymore, especially with all that had already happen to her...

Then the door opened.

She got up, almost pleased to see him like a puppy that would have waited hours alone for its master to come back.

The _Espada_ went in without saying anything, soon followed by Ichigo.  
 _-Inoue!  
-_ _...Huh?_

She stared, puzzled, at Ulquiorra who eyed them from the corner of his eyes. Obviously, he couldn't bear to see him at all...  
 _-Are you ok? You're not hurt?  
-_ _Uh, no I'm fine._

The shinigami seemed the more pleased, and in his haste took Orihime by the shoulders, as if to bring her back to reality. The _Espada,_ on the contrary, had seen more than he wanted to.  
- _Hurry up. Before I change my mind..._ he muttered.  
- _Huh? But what does that mean?_ Asked the young woman quite confused.  
- _Ulquiorra and I made a deal._

* * *

- _Tell me what you did of Inoue!  
-_ _She is well and in a safe place._ _  
-What?! Where is she?!  
-_ _Listen, Kurosaki Ichigo. I can give you the girl, but to one and only condition.  
_ _-What is it?  
-_ _You'll have to kill Aizen._ _  
-What?! Are you kidding me?! Why don't you do it yourself HUH?!  
-_ _I am loyal to him. As long as he's alive, I will follow his orders and will not release Inoue Orihime. But if you and your friends manage to kill him, I won't have to obey him anymore, and will free the woman.  
_ _-_ _What told me that_ _she's really alive or that you won't kill her before?  
-_ _Nothing. But if you want to leave this place with her AND safe at the same time, it's your only way._

* * *

 _-Inoue! Let's not_ _stay here_ _any longer!  
-_ _NO!_ _  
-What?  
-_ _I want to know why! Ulquiorra tell me, why?! Why to make such a deal with someone you hate?!_ _  
_  
She began to weep, while Ichigo observed her, puzzled, and Ulquiorra barely looked at her.  
 _-_ _WHY?!_

He turned his head back and simply told the boy to leave.

Angry, she stood herself in front of him, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket while constantly asking why.  
 _-_ _Did you not want me to be yours?! To belong to you?! Didn't you have no need in hiding yourself?! Never being 'dishonest'?! Then why?! Was it nothing but lies?! WHO is avoiding the questions now?! TELL ME!_

* * *

While he fled her eyes, she screamed louder.

She wished to collapse in his arms, but couldn't understand his reasons. The reason why he had concludes that deal, the one he let her go and moreover with _HIM_...

The young girl knew that _arrancars_ were different beings...

She knew it couldn't last long, but she refused to admit it.

She wished to stay with him.

She wished for the _cuatro_ to show her that he loved her...

She wished so hard for it because, SHE, she loved him.

Dominated by both anger and pain, she slapped him hard, hoping with all her heart that he deigns to respond.

* * *

 _-_ _TELL ME!  
_  
He avoided her eyes, but he knew she was crying.

She might scream, he could still hear her voice shaking.

The _Espada_ knew the moment would be hard for her. The human heart was a weakness whom he was relieved to be exempted.

 _"Relieved?"  
_  
No... This thing he felt inside of him, this pain that burnt his hole... and this anger that clenched all the muscles in his body... it wasn't a relief.

He couldn't explain why, but wished he could keep her prisoner forever... He tried not to listen to her complaints and eyed the young _shinigami_ who seemed utterly lost.

Then, he suddenly felt a violent banging on his cheek. Soon, a burning heat invaded the area. She had slapped him.

The _cuatro_ **really** hated it and, although he had resolved himself, he couldn't help but glare furiously at her.

Her eyes were red and swollen.

He violently seized her by the neck before to push her against a wall and to approach his lips to her ear.  
- _I love you, that's why._ _  
_

Her big grey eyes widened to these words. She couldn't believe it.

He said... he loved her...? She felt her tears flows.

Angry at herself for not having simply told him how she felt, unhappy to leave this ' _life_ ' to come back to the difficult reality, hurt by this reject despite the bond between them, she wished she didn't have a heart so she couldn't suffer so much...  
 _-_ _You ARE mine, and you will always be... But your place is not here…_

Would things be any different if she had been honest?

Would he really agree to let her go if she had told him these few words?

Wasn't there any place in this world that could accept them both?

He released her neck before gazing right at her eyes and slowly walked away.  
 _-_ _Now, GET AWAY!_

He stopped at Ichigo's sides and without even giving him the slightest glance, he added;  
- _Take her and leave! Do not EVER come back to the Hueco Mundo...  
_ _-Count on me!_ The boy answered.

* * *

Three months had passed since the _cuatro_ had watched the young woman leave with the one he likely hated the most.

Aizen and the top3 _Espada_ died in the battle against the Soul Society. Only Ulquiorra remained and ascended to the head of Las Noches. Grimmjow, on his hand, was slowly recovering from his critical state.

* * *

Three months had passed since Orihime had left Las Noches with Ichigo and her friends.

Everyone was happy to see her back. She was also happy she could now see Tatsuki and the others, but ... It wasn't the same as before.  
Ichigo had more or less forgotten, simple-minded as he was, but Orihime was bearing a heavy pain in her heart...

After all these events, Ishida had even confessed to her! But she kindly rejected him admitting that her heart was already taken. Of course, the Quincy was aware of it. But what he didn't know was that her feelings were not for the redhead and that her heart was somewhere else, somewhere very far away from here...

* * *

While watching Las Noches slowly being rebuilt, a guard came to report the intrusion of an unknown reiatsu... One that Ulquiorra already knew very well and got to meet without further delay...  
 _-_ _What are you doing here?_ He asked with his usual impassive tone. _  
-The least you could do is to say hello.  
-I asked what you were doing here.  
\- ... I'm back.  
-I told you to never come back.  
-But why?!  
-Aren't you ever tired of asking "why"?_ He said to the human girl before turning back and walking away.

Concerned, Orihime followed him, asking him to listen, to stop, or where he was going...

But soon she was back again in this room, the one where her life had changed.

She was wearing a long summer dress which exposed her peach colored skin and made her even more beautiful than ever... so dazzling, so feminine, so... _human_.

While he watched her, hands in his pockets with his usual poker's face, she remembered every moment as one can recall a dream.  
 _-_ _What are you doing here?_ He asked once again. _  
_

Lost between her memories and the very fact of being finally back, she didn't seem to hear him.

Being not very patient, he caught her by the shoulders. Gently shaking her out of her dream he asked again and she met his eyes...these green eyes so peculiar, these melancholic tears and these thin lips.

Entranced, she took his face between her hands and kissed him, gently. He allowed himself to be soothed by the warmth of her lips and enjoyed the contact that he had missed.

Then, she stroked his tongue with her own.

He interrupted the kiss abruptly by taking a step backward.

She looked at him sadly as if she would cry again.

She was slowly moving toward him while he stepped back, refusing to yield to the temptation. His legs bumped against the bed and soon, she was only a few inches away from him.  
- _Ulquiorra_ , she said closing the distance between them.

* * *

She could feel his body heat and her own heart about to explode.

Their lips were almost touching.

She could inhale his breath and his perfume still so spellbinding. _  
-I love you._

* * *

He was trapped.

His whole body was stuck to hers and he resisted the urge to hug her.

As she approached more and more, he felt a cold sweat run down his spine.

He could almost touch her wet lips and feared that she would come nearer again; otherwise, he soon wouldn't be able to control himself.  
- _I love you_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Ulquiorra glanced at Orihime, shocked by her words.

She laid her hands on his chest and violently pushed him on the bed.

He was still silently looking at her, as if these words had frozen him.

Her grey eyes shone and her long hair collapsed onto the mattress.

Without the _Espada_ resisting the slightest bit, she put her lips on the number still carved on his pectoral. A light kiss followed by another on his neck, before she came to tease his lower lip.

With the excitement she made him felt, his heartbeat fastened against his own will.

Eyes closed and breathing heavy, he tried not to succumb to her exciting advances, but instinctively opened his mouth as if waiting for something.  
She answered to his pleas and came to taste his lips, his tongue, his flavor.

Then, she felt his hands landing on her legs and sliding under her dress up to her butts.  
 _-_ _Say_ _my_ _name_ _._ She whispered.

No answer.

She slowly took off her dress, showing her generous breast that nothing more kept trapped.

Despite the invitation, he tried not to fondle her bouncy breast.

She was still dragging her lips here and there, all the while sliding his jacket off from his shoulders.

He kept fighting hard inside his head; his body reacted naturally to the woman's advances who could now feel his growing desire through his _hakama._

She let her panty fell to the floor and harped on about it even more.  
 _-_ _Say_ _it_ _._ She said while biting gently to his earlobe. _  
-_ _…Orihime…_ _  
_

She felt happy.

Happy that he had said her name, happy she could once again be with him and happy that he didn't reject her.  
 _-_ _Yes_ _,_ _my_ _love?_

She came down slowly with all her weight and let out a moan when he was completely in her.  
 _-_ _Do you… have something to tell me…?_

He couldn't bear it anymore.

He kept trying to resist with all his strength, but still wanted her so badly. She had driven him to a point where he couldn't go back anymore. He couldn't ignore her anymore.  
- _I want you_

She gave him an earnest and warm smile before to start. Her long hair was following behind her slow and intense moves. So intense that he was almost out of breath.

He tried to grip her hips but she stopped him, pressing his hands on the mattress above his head. She intertwined her fingers gently then, gripped hard, both to lock him under her weight and to show how much she loved him, how much she wanted him.

One more time, he witnessed that brutal strength of hers that she seemed to show only in their lovemaking. He was, this time, entirely up to her mercy.

* * *

He woke up alone in this big bed and wondered if he hadn't suffered a fantasy.

He could still smell the scent of her hair slipping away between his fingers and hear her sweet voice saying that she loved him...

Having seen Orihime so passionate and bold gave him the feeling of having actually dreamed. He wanted once again to feel this silent frenzy where gestures replaced words, when she entered the room with a few apples in her hands.

In a few seconds, he was behind her, hugging her tightly against him.

She shivered to each breath of his that came to brush her neck.  
She felt his hands stroking her body from around her waist up to her shoulders.

He gently made the straps of her dress slide and she prevented it from falling down by tightening her arms back against her chest. But then, he grabbed her hands within his own, letting the fruits and the dress both fall to the ground in the process.

He kissed her nape before to let himself fall to his knees, all the while exploring her naked spine with his mouth.

She turned back to look at him and saw his eyes looking even sadder than they usually were.

He stretched his arms around her before resting his head against her belly, bathed by the warmth of her skin.  
- _Don't you dare even think of leaving a second time..._

She patted his head and slowly got on her knees to pull him against her chest, like a child cuddled by its mother.  
- _I don't intend to._

* * *

The _Espada_ was asleep on a sofa, exhausted by this new rhythm of life where sex seemed to be the most exhausting part after the fact itself to live with the young woman...

Meanwhile, Orihime rediscovered Las Noches in a way much more pleasant. Although she had been through difficult times, she could now felt at home. She might know that the blue sky was fake and that it would never rain or snow, but she still liked to never see any cloud. It was as if the sky showed the calm and peaceful days to come...

Suddenly, she felt a familiar reiatsu growing...

She hastened to the endless white corridors in search of the _shinigami._  
 _-Inoue!_  
 _-Kurosaki-kun... What are you doing here?!  
-What are you talking about? This is my line!  
-But, I left a note and… I'm sure Urahara-san told you, didn't he?  
-He told me that you asked him to open a passage but he didn't say why... It's him, right? He threatened you of something again, that's why you're back here?_

The _shinigami_ seemed convinced that the girl would necessarily be forced to come here again... He was certain that Ulquiorra had ensnared her. There was no other explanation...  
 _-_ _Kurosaki-kun... Get out of here.  
-What?!  
-Get back to Karakura, I'll stay here. _

Ichigo,now frustrated by his vain tries and shocked by his friend's behavior, suddenly caught her arm to pull them both into the passage still open.  
 _-You're coming with me. I won't leave you here.  
-_ _Let me go! You don't understand... You've NEVER understood anything!_

She was angry and hurt.

Why would he not understand?

Why did he refuse to admit the obvious?

All those times, he pretended not to see that she was unhappy... And he never said a word to the others about the deal he had made back then.  
 _-_ _Let me go!_ She said, her eyes filled with tears.  
 _-Inoue you will no-_  
 _-_ _She said to let go,_ interrupted the _Espada.  
_

Silently standing there while watching the scene, he still bore that expressionless face, but inside, he was boiling in rage.

He couldn't stand the sound of his voice and just wished to kill him. Yes, he wanted to see him die before his very eyes...

Not only he had come back here, but he had also dared to touch **her**...  
 _-_ _So you came back… seems like I can't rely on your words. But that doesn't surprise me… Now let go of my prometida*, or I'll rip that arm of yours…_

The _shinigami_ froze when he recognized the _cuatro_ 's voice...  
 _\- …your pro-what?_ He narrowed his eyes _…What did you do to her?_

Seeing an opening in the _shinigami'_ s stance, the _Espada_ loaded him with his blade.

Of course, Ichigo backed up.

Then, Ulquiorra took Orihime still sobbing in his arms and gently opened her jacket.  
 _\- You didn't know? What do you know about your oh so precious friends? Look,_ he said while brushing a _**5**_ on the woman's right shoulder.

* * *

Just like the _shinigami_ , Inoue Orihime had developed the skill to unleash her Hollow form...

The _Espada_ had understood with the sudden change in the reiatsu he had felt back then, outside the dome, although the woman was probably unaware of it.  
Ulquiorra assumed that what interested Aizen were not only her "divine" powers...

 _-Since you returned, your Hollow seems to have grow stronger.  
-My Hollow?_  
 _-Have you never felt it? That furious power that sleeps within? The one you used to break the pond._  
 _-I… I don't remember._

Both worried to know what Inoue Orihime was hiding but also miser to satisfy his own curiosity, he persuaded the human girl to use the Hougyoku...

* * *

The _shinigami_ 's mouth fell open in front of the number, nicely drawn on the princess's skin who then clung to Ulquiorra's neck, her wet face nesting in his neck.  
 _-_ _If you understand then, get away before I change my mind.  
-I can't believe it! Inoue, tell me what this bastard did to you!_

Getting no answer, the boy did the only thing he thought was the best _...  
-BANKAI!  
_ _-Fool… Your blindness will kill you, then.  
_  
But Orihime put her hand on the handle of Ulquiorra's _Zanpakuto_ , as if to ask him to not fight. She had this worried look and he figured she didn't want to see the young _shinigami_ die...  
 _-_ _If you don't want to die, go back from where you came... And don't come back here, this time._ He told the boy as his last warning. _  
-I will not leave without her!  
\- ...So stubborn... _He sighed. _  
_

The _Espada_ gently moved the hand of the woman before passing his own into her orange hair.  
- _Don't forget that you are mine... So don't try to do anything reckless this time...  
_  
Like that, it almost seemed like a threat, but she knew very well what he meant... the truth was that he didn't want her to meddle in the fight because he knew she could be injured once again...

* * *

 ***prometida = fiancee**


	7. Chapter 7

**WARNING!**

 **Contains some SPOILERS from** **chapter 349-351**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

Orihime was again on that dome where everything was made of night and desolation.

Ulquiorra, although as quiet and composed as usual, assumed that the young _shinigami_ had surely grown even stronger.

He threw a last glance at his only spectator before releasing his _Zanpakuto_ at the 2nd level to unleash his " _Murcielago_ ".

She was worried.

She knew very well that they would be hurt in the fight.

She also knew she could heal them, but she didn't want to simply rely on her powers and watch quietly until one of them gives up...

 _"Give up? Kurosaki-kun never gives up ..."  
_  
And Ulquiorra will probably not let him get away so easily...

The girl watched the fight, although she couldn't always follow their movements.

She could see that the _Espada_ was far from calm... He was way too aggressive and was certainly hasty to kill him... She could feel that killing aura overflowing from him with its growing thirst for blood...

Now, she didn't fear his monstrous form anymore and even felt sad to see him like this. He might be cold, he was different with her. She had seen him like no one else had before and knew that Ulquiorra didn't like to fight despite his strength. Unlike the others _Espadas_ , he never really liked to unsheathe his sword nor to kill.

The _Cuatro_ had now Ichigo under his stranglehold, ready to give him the final shot.

He knew that Orihime wished for the boy to live on, and that was precisely why he wanted to kill him so badly.

She would suffer, she would be mad at him, she would cry... But if he didn't kill him now, this idiot might dare to come for her again and again... All the while growing stronger.  
- _So what, Ulquiorra_... * _pant_ * _could it be..._ * _pant_ * _that you're hesitating, tell me?  
-_ _If you want so much to die... I won't withhold._

Less than a second later, a huge hole could be seen through the chest of the _shinigami._

 _ *** Ba-dump ***_

She wanted to cry, but strangely, no tears came out...

She had tried earlier to tell herself that the situation might soon end like this... but she still couldn't really believe it. She wasn't really sure to feel her heart beat anymore...

Unable to do anything, she remained motionless, the eyes focused on her friend's corpse. She wasn't aware of Ulquiorra's presence until he appeared in front of her.

He said nothing. Looking for a kind of consolation in her eyes, he hoped she would be happy to see him safe...

He just stroked her cheek with the tip of his long claws before approaching his lips.

* * *

While waiting for the kiss that didn't come, she saw his green eyes widening in surprise...

An unknown hand had landed on the _Espada_ 's forearm...

She opened her mouth, but before she could emit the slightest sound, his claws scratched her face and a stream of blood spurted like a rai of blood.  
 _\- ...huh?_

* * *

He was about to kiss the woman, but stopped when he felt an unexpected hand grip his arm.

He understood right away and then, felt overwhelmed by the reiatsu he just had become aware of.

An abundant rain of blood flowed before he could feel a horrible pain.  
 _-_ _...huh?_

The _shinigami_ wasn't only standing up fully alive, he had also ripped off the left arm of the _cuatro Espada._..

Orihime had barely the time to understand what had happened, that Ulquiorra was thrown away from her with such strength and at a blazing speed.

Now, she could clearly see what had become of Ichigo... He looked like a real _arrancar_... his entire head was covered with a sort of skull wearing two big evil horns.  
He still had the big hole in his chest and his hair had grown very long...  
 _-_ _Kuro...saki…kun...?_

She couldn't see his eyes behind the bone shell, and if they weren't the only three people in this place, she would've never believed that he was the _shinigami_ that she knew...

While she was still shocked, he disappeared in a flash to face the comatose _Espada_ and beat him to death.

Ulquiorra was powerless and despite his _Hierro_ , his body seemed of the most vulnerable.

The _shinigami_ violently threw the bat against a heavy pillar made of white concrete. Then, he grabbed his throat and impaled him with his sword.  
 _-_ _STOP!_ _  
_ _  
 ***Slice***_

She saw the long, black, blade going through Ulquiorra's chest before cutting him like a piece of paper... His unrecognizable body fell to the ground and she felt his reiatsu growing smaller...  
 _-NOOOOOOO!_

The young woman ran to the _Espada_ who had recovered its original form. All that remained of his mask was crumbs...  
 _-_ _No... No ..._

Her knees met the ground and she slowly crawled toward him.

She couldn't see his wounds as there was blood... his clothes were torn apart and his mask was gone.

She cried her eyes out while taking in her hands the face of his beloved one...  
 _-_ _Why... Why..._

She turned to face the _shinigami_ , eyes filled with tears and anger, while he was slowly going back to his human form.  
 _-_ _Why didn't you left for Karakura? Why are you so...STUPID?!_

She took the sword of the _Espada_ and drew it at him.  
 _-_ _You've KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED THE ONE I LOVED! WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! WHY CAN'T YOU LET ME?!  
_  
She yelled so loud and hard that he couldn't believe it was the same gentle and credulous Orihime he knew of. _  
\- Are you THAT STUPID?! I came back only because I wanted to! Because I **LOVE** him! And you... You've **KILLED** him!_ _  
_ _-Inoue... I..._

To say that young boy was at a loss for words was but an understatement...

Between his own loss of control, his friend's behavior towards the _cuatro_ and the state of that same one... Everything seemed like a horribly bad joke, almost a nightmare.

 _-Get away.  
_ _-But I ...  
-_ _ **Get away!** I HATE YOU, YOU UNDERSTAND?! I HAAAATE YOU!  
_  
She was in pain...

A pain so unbearable, even breathing was hard.

Ripping her heart out wouldn't make her feel any better as she felt utterly powerless, filled with so many regrets...

Why couldn't she resurrect the dead?

Was she so... useless?

Aizen was right... She was useless!

 _ ***ba-dump***_

Facing her own despair, the woman felt suddenly overwhelmed by a strange feeling. She could feel like a torrent of water through her veins… a rising tide of power.

 _ ***ba-dump***_

While the _shinigami_ watched her friend in that awfully troubling situation he would have never imagined, he suddenly felt her spiritual pressure growing with lightning speed.

A dark cloud wrapped the red-haired girl while her reiatsu soon became overpowering.  
- _…Inoue !_

The reiatsu now stable, the cloud disappeared to show the young woman under a shape still unknown.

Floating in the air like a ghost, she wore a long and slinky skirt which hem was tattered. A light top was tied around her chest letting her hourglass figure be seen.

Impossible on the other hand to see her face under her dark falling hood, but the _shinigami_ recognized the **5** on his opponent's shoulder. In her hands was what seemed to be a giant scythe with a sharpened blade.

How could it be that the Hollow that slept inside her hadn't wake up sooner?

Why the fact that she knew she would never ever see Ulquiorra was so painful?

It had been less than a year since they knew each other, but already, she couldn't imagine herself living without him.

Besides, it wasn't like she really knew him to begin with... In fact, she knew almost nothing about him.

But... who cared? Since it was already too late…

Then, she drew her gigantic semilunar blade shaped scythe at him and shouted:  
- _You'll pay with your life!_

Ichigo parried just in time Orihime's fast and powerful attack.  
- _Inoue!_ _Pull yourself together! It's me, Ichigo!_

But her heart drowned in grief and despair, the woman couldn't but flee this painful reality and call for revenge. She didn't listen to the boy who tried to make her come back to her senses.

The only thing that reached her ears was this little voice whispering her to kill him.

He dodged more or less her destructive blows, unable to attack the happy and credulous teenager that he knew. He was fleeing and blocking the blows, hoping she would tire herself out or simply wake up.

But suddenly, Rukia appeared from nowhere, intervening between the two friends.  
 _-Inoue! Don't!_

When the _Cinco Espada_ saw the little _shinigami_ protecting Ichigo with her white katana, she remembered.

Orihime too, had also risked her life for him and now... she wished his death?

Had she really the will to kill the one thanks to whom everything had been possible?

Or was it there a desperate try in order to die, in her turn?

She always knew that Rukia and Ichigo shared more than simple friendship. Their bond was far stronger than the one she had with him.  
For a time, she was jealous of her. And finally, she had lived with it.

The woman that was standing in front of her seemed to be even smaller and frailer than in her memories.

Yet, she was strong and could fight alongside him without any fear of being a burden.  
 _-I know how you feel but… If you kill him, Ulquiorra won't come back for all that!_ [Her genuine gaze showed great sorrow] _So, please…_

Orihime took off her big hood to unveil her tearful face.

All this time, her black with yellow pupil eyes hadn't stopped to cry.  
- _Long ago, I lost what I held dearest. Right here, I finally found a reason to keep up and fight again… until it was also taken away before my very eyes! …Go. Both of you._  
- _Are you… coming with us?_ Asked softly the brunette while the boy kept silent.  
- _Look at me, Kuchiki-san! My Hollow powers are such that the Hougyoku named me as the 5th Espada! Even if he's not here anymore, I AM Ulquiorra's prometida… I don't want to become the weak and naïve high school girl I once was… and I feel more at ease here than in my own apartment…_

Seeing the deep pain and earnest resolve of Orihime, Rukia didn't insist any longer.  
" _You will always be welcome among us…_ " She added before leaving with Ichigo. Afflicted by all that had happened, he had followed behind without saying a word.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Orihime had asked Grimmjow to help her bring Ulquiorra's body back in his room.

Strangely, the guy quickly agreed on her request, although he didn't stop muttering some curses along the path.

She had never noticed before, but she was now able to find the location of this room supposed to be undetectable for anyone but him...

 _"Him"_

She couldn't bear to see him in this state...

Even if he would never wake up anymore, the sight of blood and wounds just made her want to cry forever...

Grimmjow, on the other hand, seemed annoyed to see the _cuatro_ in such a pitiful state, forcing one more time the girl to use her healing powers. He left the room while the wounds closed up one after another and that his arm reshaped itself...

After several hours, the _Espada_ 's body was full and clean again.

Only his mask and clothes weren't back to their original state.

Orihime stripped him from the tattered fabric and sponged the blood that covered his white skin.

It was when traveling once again each mount and slope shaped by his torso's muscles that she discovered that his hole had disappeared, seeming to have closed itself with his wounds.

Days after days, she kept trying to bring him back, but nothing seemed to disturb his eternal sleep... Absolutely nothing happened.

Neither his mask nor his hole were coming back... and his eyelids remained closed.

Everywhere she went into the palace, the _cuatro_ 's sword was hanging to the belt of her _hakama_ as if both were waiting for the awakening of its owner, in order to give him back.

Soon, the weak arrancars forming the staff of Las Noches treated her like the new queen as they feared her strange powers.  
She, who hide behind this harmless smile so humanly warm, a deadly aura dangerously cold and powerful.

The new _Espada_ may look like a beautiful and lovesick mermaid, but truth is, she was much closer to the Death itself.

Only Grimmjow, as untamable as always, seemed to show her some respect without him feeling the slightest fear.

He had felt her power and knew, even if he would never admit it, that she was far stronger than him. The 5 carved on her shoulder wasn't here as decoration...  
Moreover, she only was the fifth?

Was it because she seemed to have no real control over her own transformation?  
Because of the instability of her reiatsu?  
Because she was, in the end, a mere human girl?

He even came to wonder if it was for that same reason that Aizen had first taken an interest in her... even if he couldn't imagine such a transformation possible without Ulquiorra's help...

In the beginning, the _sexta_ didn't believe one word of it and thought that it was but another curious ploy of the _cuatro_.

He didn't hide, on the other hand, that the redhead was quite attractive, both from her generous curves and her atypical and stubborn character.

In the end, even Ulquiorra didn't resist her many charms...  
He couldn't believe it until he witnessed the truth with his own eyes on that day, the one she came back and that he saw the both of them together.

Clearly, at that time, it was obvious that the _cuatro_ wasn't acting and had eyes only for her, like she had eyes only for him.

* * *

Unfortunately, despite that Orihime kept trying again and again, her powers seemed useless and her efforts vain.

" _Is there nothing I can do? Am I really that useless?!..._ "

Frustrated and sad, she violently threw her _Rikka_ on the floor. These flowers, halfway between a star and a snowflake, were what remained dearest to her and what had given her the strength to live on.

Yet, in this very moment, she couldn't bear to see these damn hairpins anymore.

Angry at herself and the whole world, she unsheathed the _Zanpakuto_ from its greenish scabbard to crush them abruptly with the tip of the sword.

However, when the blade came to break the blue metal's petals, a blinding light erupted from it before bathing the whole room.

From floor to ceiling, everything was covered with a thick layer of glassy ice.

Charmed by these frozen diamonds sparkling everywhere, she calmed down and came to sit at her beloved one's bedside.

He was so beautiful in his icy coffin... She could have kept looking at his face until the end of time because, never again he would open his gorgeous green eyes anymore...  
 _-Ulquiorra… I love you so much that it's unbearable! …What can I do? What should I do?!_

Her fingers hardly felt the cold through her skin that her heart broke.

There was no hope anymore.

Distraught, she didn't try to fight back the grief that slowly welled up in her eyes.

A lone tear flowed along her cheek, falling from her jaw like a mere drop, and crashed against the ice which shattered to pieces.  
Just as fast and unpredicted as it came, everything disappeared in thin dust like silver glitter.

The _Espada_ took a deep breath, eyes wide open and back arched as if his lungs filled for the first time.

* * *

- _Ulquiorra?! …Ulquiorra! Ulquiorra, you okay?_

The woman was both overjoyed and lost about what to do.

She didn't understand the reason why nor how exactly but, that frozen sarcophagus seemed to have brought him back to life...

He was breathing and his eyes were indeed open.

His eyes which in the past were often threatening seemed now to be somewhat different...

Was it really Ulquiorra? She wasn't sure.

Without his mask and hole, he just looked like a mere human, aside for his 4 tattoo and his green tears. He didn't wear this typical dissemblance that made him an arrancar anymore.  
 _-You are… **alive** …_ she said while brushing his face.

* * *

- _Ulquiorra?! …Ulquiorra! Ulquiorra, you okay?_

The woman was standing beside him.

But what was she doing here?  
And why was he lying there, almost naked?

Everything was so blurry within his head that he couldn't think properly nor remember what had happened.

He felt kind of different and told himself that she certainly had to 'heal' him, hence, this strange feeling he couldn't describe.  
- _You are… alive…_ she said while brushing his face.

He caught her hand before to sit up.  
- _What are you doing here… and what did you do to me, woman?  
_ _-_ _…what?_

 _"No... It can't be... Has he really... lost his memory...? Yet he remembered me... but not us? "_

 _-You ... you don't remember?_ She asked, worried. _Kurosaki-kun has... you were… dead.  
_ - _Bullshit! I killed him with my own hands, how could this idiot have even only hurt me?!_  
 _-And after that, what happened? Do you remember?_  
- _Grimmjow and you... you two had brought this idiot back. I had to fight him again... And… then…_ _  
_  
Orihime then told him the next.  
How she had put herself between them at the cost of her life and how he had saved her. How they fell in love with each other and how he had let her go back into the real world. But also that she came back and that Kurosaki-kun had followed her. How they fought and how he died...

 _ _-Impossible! Nothing that you say makes sense! Nothing is real!__

He didn't want to believe her.

He couldn't believe her... How him, the fourth _Espada_ could've fallen in love with a woman... and moreover a human? But far worse, how could he be beaten by this ' _shinigami'_ who wasn't even a real one?!  
- _You don't even have the slightest proof of what you're talking about,_ he said coldly.  
 _-Your mask..._ she said. _Now you are..._

He brought his left hand to his head.

Indeed, he had neither mask nor hole anymore.

Although he had a hard time believing the obvious, he couldn't resolve himself to trust her.  
She had to be lying... even if it wasn't her way of doing things.

Perhaps was this a trap?

What could she have done to him, to make him become a mere human in his turn?  
 _-What did you do to me…?_

He still couldn't admit the fact they could have been lovers.  
Ulquiorra had no place for feelings.  
The notion wasn't unknown to him, but he knew he wasn't capable of such thing.

He was often puzzled when he had to face the human girl, but hadn't even considered that this insatiable curiosity toward her wasn't _only_ of mistrust mixed with a thirst for knowledge.

Seeing no other way, Orihime started to undress herself.

He took fear and caught her hand.  
 _-What in the world are you doing?!  
-It's you who made what I am today._  
- _?_

He hesitated a moment before to release her hand and discover a 5 on her shoulder.

Curious, but nonetheless very troubled by all these confessions, he brushed the number with the tip of his fingers, feeling then her soft and warm skin.

He hardly touched her, but could still feel each heartbeat of hers as they were loud.

His own heart was also beating very loudly... Why?  
Why did he felt this overwhelming urge to touch her?  
This strong desire to breathe the scent of her long orange hair, to taste her pink lips and to stroke the skin of her whole body...

Then slowly, he approached his face before to press his lips against hers.

Soon, he wanted more.

He wasn't aware of what he was doing anymore and his brain had shut itself to let his body talk.

His left hand had landed on her hip's curves while the right one slowly followed the line of her spine to stop between her shoulder blades.

His tongue had naturally found the opening of her mouth to meet hers.

While he bathed in her flavor, he felt her frail hands climbing softly on his chest towards his neck.

He quickly came back to his senses and realized the situation.

Scared, he pushed the woman away and got up from the bed.

 _"What's happening to me?"_

But while he still wondered what had just happened, Orihime understood that it was really him. This kiss, this passion… there was no doubt anymore.  
- _Why are you running away?_ She asked him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

- _Why are you running away?_ She asked him.

Her unpredictable and unexpected moves were unknown to Ulquiorra.

He stepped back until reaching a wall to take support.

What kind of situation was this?

As if he had been thrown in a foreign land, he was seeing things that he would have never ever imagined.

First, the prisoner seemed to have gained so much confidence she was clearly acting in a way he would have never allowed before.

What was this lack of respect while she dared to say her name without honorifics?

But what seemed to be even worst to him: where was the girl gone?

The one who had been so easily tricked when they mentioned her ' _precious friends_ '?  
The one who claimed to feel no fear but ' _hope_ ' thanks to these same friends but had so much despair in her eyes? Yes, this poor and weak little teenage girl... What had become of her?

Because whenever he looked at the one in front of him, all he could see was but an adult woman...

A strong and determined one who seemed to have grown into a fearful and unknown creature... neither a _Shinigami_ nor an _Arrancar_. Something he knew he could never be: a human with Hollow powers... Yes, just like that brat...

Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't saw her approaching nor did he hear her previous question.

He still couldn't understand the reason why he wasn't able to control himself.

There was definitely something wrong with him because Ulquiorra, whatever the situation, always knew how to face it without any kind of troubles.

But then, why did his heart wouldn't calm down?

Why did his skin felt like it was on fire?

Why was it that his whole body refused to obey him and instead was so desperately drawn to the woman?

What could she have done to him? And while he wondered oh so many things in his head, he didn't even notice that she was already right in front of him...

* * *

- _Why are you running away?_ She asked him.

But the ex- _espada_ seemed way too troubled to even hear.

Right now, Orihime just wished to hold him tight in her arms so she could tell him that he had nothing to be afraid of because she was there for him and... and that she simply loved him.

She wanted to cry her eyes out as she was happy to see him alive but, he didn't remember the slightest thing about what had happened between them.

And because this was obviously too much of a shock to him, Ulquiorra, who was usually so perceptive, didn't even noticed that she was already right in front of him...

* * *

She gently stroked his cheek and he abruptly caught her arm.  
 _-_ _What do you think you're doing?_ _Don't you touch me!_ _  
_ _-_ _Why…_ _  
-_ _Otherwise, I'll smash your wrist!_ _  
-_ _Why are you scared?_ She asked, sadly.

His heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened.

" _Scared?_ "

He just stared at her big grey eyes, frozen by her words.

She was right.

Inside of him, he was afraid.

This uneasiness he felt, it was fear.

The _cuatro Espada_ was afraid of a mere human girl and it really annoyed him.

How could she know better than him?

How could she give him that kind of look?!

Did she pity him?

Was she making fun of him?

He couldn't bear to feel this way. How could their roles have been switched in such a way?

Because he didn't know what to do anymore, he let his anger act for him and pressed her against the wall without releasing her hand.  
- _The first time,_ [her eyes moist and shimmering] _because I was cold, you held me in your arms,_ [her voice shaking] _do you remember?_  
 _-_ _Shut up.  
-_ _I'm still hearing the sound of your voice telling me "let me warm you up_ _"._ [a tear rolling on her cheek] _Your scent_ _,_ _your_ _warmth_ _… I, myself… haven't forgotten anything…_  
 _-_ _WILL YOU SHUT UP!_

Lost among the things she was saying and the ones he thought to know, his body seemed to only obey at her.

He was losing his control in front of her. No, rather he was losing it _because_ of her...

He had to shut her up.

He had to get rid of her.

His hand landed abruptly on her neck as he wished to see her suffocate.

He wanted to tighten his fingers, one after another, around her slender throat but instead, his mouth had crashed against her plump lips.  
Why was he kissing her?

He couldn't understand.

He kept trying but just couldn't get what was happening to him...

Gasping for air, he backed to take a breath.  
- _Why do my lips burn when I touch yours but feel even worse if I don't?_ _Why is it so painful when I see you? Why is it… that my chest hurts so much when I have no memories of what you're talking about?  
_

The _cuatro_ released her arm, letting himself slowly fall to the ground.

Seeing that sad look painted on his face added to the feeling of being, one more time utterly powerless, Orihime couldn't stop herself to shed some silent tears.  
- _No…_ _please…d_ _on't cry… I feel like my heart is ripping apart…  
_

The woman threw herself in his arm and they both enjoyed this warm embrace. A nice touch that was soothing both his heart and mind.

He couldn't explain why he was already feeling better but, because he had this feeling that they were nonetheless bound, he pressed her hard against him.  
-' _Aren't you ever tired of asking why?'_ She said while wiping her tears.  
 _I won't let you die again._ _Ulquiorra… I don't care if you don't remember the time we spent together… I do know there was a time when you loved me… so, I beg you…Don't ever let me alone anymore… Do what you want to me, but don't leave me…_

 _"Leave her?"  
_  
She was now the only thing that mattered to him into this world full of desolation that was the Hueco Mundo. Even within Las Noche, he didn't have his place as an _arrancar_ anymore...

Rather, it was up to him to beg her... He, who didn't even know who he was anymore...

* * *

 _"What am I doing… here... and dressed like this...?"  
_

 _"I'm cold"  
_

 _"Be mine… and nothing else"_

 _"WHY?!"  
"I love you, that's why"  
_

 _"…I'm back"  
_

 _"Ulquiorra… I love you."  
_

 _"So what Ulquiorra…_ * _pant_ * _...could it be…_ * _pant_ * _…that you're hesitating, tell me?"  
_  
 _"STOP!"_

 _"NOOOOO!"_

* * *

When he opened his eyes, a drop of sweat rolled along his forehead.

He realized he had just made a nightmare… yet it seemed so real... as if he had already seen it with his own eyes... it felt like... he was watching a film.

 _"I rem-"_

But as soon as he realized, the memories faded away, leaving nothing but an odd feeling of ' _déjà vu_ '.

Orihime was still peacefully asleep.

Her breathing slow and quiet, she was hugging him against her chest.

Was her embrace a way to show him that she was here for him? Or was it to reassure herself that he was real?

" _This woman brought me back to life? She threw away her previous life and everything else just to be with me? ...All this time, she never gave up... Why? A mere human so weak, yet showing so much strength…"_

From his warm place, he could see the edges of the woman's tattoo on her shoulder and breathed her comforting scent.

Her skin seemed so soft to him that he wished to take off that monochrome dress she wore just to touch her more.

He suddenly found her so beautiful that he felt like his heart was trapped in a closing vice.

" _No"  
_  
" _No, I'm not… I am not…"_

Yes, he was.

He smirked to himself, feeling like a stubborn idiot.

 _"In the end, that brat was right...much more than he could've ever imagined... because I REALLY have become more human!"_

-Inoue… Orihime…huh?

To say her name out loud seemed strange but not unpleasant.

Just to be sure of the way it made him felt, he kept calling her name.  
- _Orihime.  
Ori-hime…hime  
Orihime..._

His repeated tries had managed to wake up the sleeping beauty.

She didn't open her eyes that tried to block the piercing light, and simply rested her hand on his head, gently stroking his hair.  
 _-I'm here Ulquiorra… I'm right here…  
_  
Her voice was as quiet as a whisper but she smiled nonetheless.

- _Are you a real princess?_ He asked, somewhat serious.

She forced her eyes open to look at him.  
- _What are you talking about?_  
 _-Your name. Aren't you supposed to be the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor?_  
 _-I'm impressed you know of that story *****_ she admitted. _But, you know I'm no princess… and honestly I wouldn't like to be one._  
 _-Why so?_  
 _-Because that would mean you'd be my "Hikoboshi" and I don't want to see you only once a year..._ _I want to spend aaaaall my life with you._

She smiled to him up to her ears and he wondered how she was able to make him melt like this, though he didn't show any sign of it.

She was definitely not a princess and even less a queen.

He knew it because this feeling inside of him…there was no way it could be fake.

[Yes, right now]  
 _"I might die a million times"  
_ [he was sure of it]  
 _"or live a million lives"_  
[Inoue Orihime was a true goddess]  
 _"each time"_  
[and the one of his heart.]  
 _"I think I would fall for her."_

* * *

 ** __~_Epilogue_~__**

* * *

Orihime was standing when she felt something grabbing her leg.  
- _What are you doing here, my angel? Shouldn't you be with your father?_ _  
_  
Stuck to her leg was a little boy whose age was around 5 years. He was small and cute, hair black with shades of faint blue and looked very shy.

The child joined both his hands together and angled his head to the side.  
- _What do you mean, he's sleeping?_! Exclaimed the redhead.

She took the boy in her arms and went to a nearby room where was a large and white sofa.

When she recognized the father of the boy who was indeed asleep, she laid him down.  
 _-Just be quiet, otherwise dad will wake up_ _,_ she said with her forefinger on her lips.

She then took a light blanket and gently placed it on the man who was sound asleep. This one too, was looking like an angel... a fallen angel.

She bordered him before to put a kiss on his forehead.  
- _Sleep tight, my love_.  
She said in a whisper, contemplating his nostalgic green tears...

 **THE END.**

* * *

 ***The legend** they are talking about is the one of the **Tanabata** , also known in Japan as the **Star Festival.  
** If you've never heard of it, ask Google to tell you the story of **Orihime** ( _Vega_ ) and **Hikoboshi** ( _Altair_ ).


End file.
